Posted at 08:01 AM
His smile as sweet as honey
Part 1
Blanche had given up on all hopes of being a young girl again. She had been forced to grow up too fast and too soon that she had to leave all childish emotions behind even before she was ready to. Or at least, that was what everyone thought. For she had never really left them, she had just forgotten.
Such a tragic thing to have to throw away some thing so magical like infatuation. That light feeling of attraction. That sudden lift of the heart. That infectious sugar rush. Speaking of which, infatuation is just like having a taste of that sweetest candy you’ve always wanted for a long time. Remember the moment the sweetness had spread all over your mouth? It’s as though even your brain could taste the candy. Your mind races. Your heart lifts. Your lips curve to a smile. And you feel so good that nothing in this world could ever ruin your day just as long as you have that candy in your mouth.
In Blanche’s case, it was not only that 10-Peso lollipop that was six inches in diameter she bought in Recto. Rather it was a boy. A boy she met just as she ate the lollipop that afternoon…
She met him in the Publications’ Office she worked in. The boy was playing scrabble together with a friend of his, and the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper. He was tall, standing at about five feet, eight inches. His hair was light-brownish, quite similar to that of Blanche’s. His eyes were transfixed on the game board and then on the wood block that carried the small wooden tablets with letters. He didn’t speak that much, and so Blanche did not notice him (as she too was busy with her work). That is, until his friend burst to laughter.
“Okay, sino’ng maka-animé dito?” the boy with black, rectangular glasses asked.
Blanche was singing the animé songs in her iPod with her good friend Spica. Having heard what the boy asked, she raised her hand proudly.
The boy’s reaction did not surprise her at all, but the gesture the other boy made sure did. The other boy let out a sigh. And a rather disappointed one at that.
“I don’t like animé,” the boy said quietly.
Blanche thought he was being sarcastic, “Really?”
The boy nodded in affirmation.
A few more times and Blanche finally gave up on her persistence. Okay, he disliked animé. Enough said. And that was the first time the boy made a mark on her. He was Carlo Benedict Sarmiento, a freshman of AB English Language at the age of eighteen. Though he may seem like the quiet type at first, he proved otherwise. As Blanche delved further into his psyche, he started sharing a lot about himself, saving the girl a ton of effort.
He was not that tough a cookie to crack. He was a seventies fan. The era that Blanche had never really had a grasp of. And so, as the boy elaborated on his passion for the decade of love, peace, and disco music, Blanche sat there, unconsciously eating her way to the crushed lollipop she had bought after lunch. And with her eyes transfixed on the boy rather than on her work, Blanche had the time to study his face, his gestures. But what certainly captivated her was his saccharine smile. It was so genuine. So infectious. So happy. Blanche loved his smile. She would just stare at him as he talked, awaiting for his lips to part and finally curve upwards. And with just that, she would find herself smiling as well. Yes, indeed his smile was sweeter than the lollipop. His smile was as sweet as honey.
To be continued.
